Italian Lakes Wedding Planner

On Lake Orta posts we usually show our couples in wonderful green and blue landscapes with bright medieval houses under the sun.
Today we would like to suggest something completely different and unusual:
a white Christmas on Lake Orta!

Yesterday, just two days before Christmas, lot of snow whiten Lake Orta creating and enchanting Christmas atmosphere.
Raffaello Mazzoleni one of Italian Lakes Wedding photograher captured it for us.

This is Lake Orta that many of you never saw, right into a fairly tale landscape almost unreal.
Don’t you think it could be perfect for a Winter Wedding on Lake Orta?

Continue Reading »

In summer 2008 I had the pleasure to meet Amy and Tom for the first time. She is a lovely Irish girl and he is a handsome English guy. Such a great couple! After visiting many venues across Northern Lakes area they reached Orta San Giulio and they fell in love with that immediately. Amy and Tom thought that Lake Orta incorporated the precise idea they had for an intimate and romantic wedding on the lake.

My first wedding of Summer Season 2009 was Amy and Tom’s: 3rd July 2009. Amy arrived some days before to settle in Orta and define some last details.

She spent some lovely days before the event, with her parents and family in a lovely villa on the lake that I often suggest to my couples. It is just in front of Ortello Gulf.

And finally the wedding day came!
Amy and her father took a nice walk from the lovely house on the shores to reach village church. Tom, flower girls, purple dressed bridesmaids and all guests were all waiting for her there. Lilac was the theme of whole wedding.

Amy choose this wonderful color for her main theme and Monika Andenmatten from La Piccola Selva created wonderful arrangements to accomplish her desires. She based her work on a color palette going from white to purple-lilac. Monika created wonderful church arrangements for the balusters and external columns of the church itself.

At the end of the ceremony… just a lovely kiss of bride and groom! Photographer Andrea Dapueto took a wonderful shot of it. Andrea Dapueto was the perfect reporter for such a wonderful event. Continue Reading »

We’ve told you many times about wonderful medieval Orta village and how cosy and intimate it is.
Now let’s imagine a more intimate, cozier and more romantic place just mystic and legendary:
here you are San Giulio Island.

St. Julius reached this land for first around 1600 sailing on his mantel. He arrived here and found it haunted by dragoons and snakes.
He sent them all away and built a little church that after become the nowadays cathedral.
This is what the legend tells….

After that a castle, Bishop Palance and villas for priests.
About half of 1800 a convent was built and it cancelled the last symbol of a powerful past let the island becoming more religious.
Today a small group of nuns live in the convent. They are Benedectines and they are totally dedicated to manual works and spiritual hospitality.

St. Julius Island is a silent an mystic place rich in history and traditions.
If you take a look to the island from the hills high tower bell, gardens and ancient roads look like a fairly tale castle born from ancient ruins of a castle.

On this very Italian corner of paradise we would like to suggest a unique opportunity to arrange your wedding reception: a little cosy restaurant with terrace on the lake inside one of the most ancient villas of the island.

We love to imagine a romantic civil ceremony to Villa Bossi or a lovely religious ceremony in one of Orta churches (Maria Assunta or Sacro Monte) with a pleasant trip on the boat to follow.

You and your guests will have the opportunity to completely know and savor the beauty of the lake.
Cruise from Orta to St. Julius Island is a show you can not miss.
From the waters could admire ancient villas on the shores and their aristocratic and alter appeal.

After this lovely trip you will arrive directly on the pier of a little restaurant just on San Giulio Island or you could get there from the little road that goes across the Island.

Ristorante San Giulio (St. Julius Restaurant) is located inside Villa Tallone date back to 1700.
It is well know to host a rich summer concert season in which you could listen to great concerts in such a wonderful frame. Continue Reading »

Last but not least part 5 of our Summer Season Weddings on Lake Orta.
Today I will tell you about one of my favorite weddings of this year: Gillian and Louis’ special day.

Gillian and Louis chose as theme color pink and apple green but what made the event special were multicolored kilts of guests.

She is Scottish and he is Italo-Scottish and they both chose Orta San Giulio for Louis’ family Piemonte heritage.

Sweet and lovely Gillian look like a pretty princess when she walked on aisle of Villa Bossi Garden.

Her father was by her side wearing a kilt, but he wasn’t alone!
All guests had it on to bring a corner of Scotland in Orta.

As all the other weddings that I mentioned in Summer Season Wedding in Orta session, Gillian and Louis had a great sunny day. It was the perfect weather for an outdoor civil ceremony in the town hall of Orta San Giulio.

Floral arrangements were created by Paola one of the florist designers of La Piccola Selva.
She created fresh and natural bunches of flowers for the decoration of the gate and the columns of Villa Bossi.
Bridal and bridesmaid bouquet had the same style Gillian wanted. A perfect match between baby rose, apple green and white.

After the ceremony Gillian and Louis walked along ancient pedestrian roads of the village.

A wedding in Orta is not complete without a tour on the lake to discover the landscapes and beautiful St. Julius Island.
Here you can find amazing spots for unforgettable wedding pictures. Continue Reading »

Little details can often make a wedding really unforgettable. Some original and pretty details can give a special touch to the event to make it really unique. This what happened for Kerry, the pretty girl in Yellow I would like to tell you about.

First of all pretty Kerry opted for a trendy wedding dress for sure.

Her designer made it for her and she did such a wonderful job.

It was an ivory prom dress with little details in yellow, just like the sun: a little embroidery on the bustier, a big ribbon at the back and lovely details for the under-skirt.

Kerry also wore a tiara with veil and pretty rounded pointed shoes.

For her bouquet Kerry decided for a round classic shape which has always appeal. Monika Andenmatten floral designer created for her a perfect match between white and yellow roses to go with the same colors of the dress.

The groom too, Alistair, was really handsome in his light grey kilt as Scottish tradition wants.

For their religious ceremony Kerry and Alistair chose Sacro Monte church on the top of the hill just up Orta village. Continue Reading »

If you are dreaming of a special place for a symbolic ceremony on the lakeshore, St. Julius Island on Lake Orta could be the right place you are looking for.

St. Julius Island is a tiny place right in the center of the intimate lake. Some nuns live here, right in the pretty convent close to the abbey dedicated to St. Julius who was the first to land on the island. On the island there are also some villas which used to be owned by the church. Now they are all holidays home of rich families coming from all over the world. There is also a tiny little restaurant here, the only one on the island.

It is easy to understand why St. Julius Island is a place where silence and meditation play the main role. You can just breath a mystic atmosphere here. It is the amazing scenery Mark and Rachel choose for their wedding. The two guys are a lovely couple coming from Dallas TX, who planned their wedding with Italian Lakes Wedding Team.

We already mentioned Mark Followill in another post. He is the official speaker of Mavs TV, Dallas Mavericks TV channel, one of the most famous NBA basket ball team of USA. Mark and Rachel choose Lake Orta and St. Julius Island after visiting our web site and reading our posts. A very good result for our Team which main task is promoting lakes territory, one of the most romantic for a wedding in Italy.

After taking in consideration many photographers of the area, Mark and Rachel opted for Raffaello Mazzoleni. They were impressed by his skills, perfect shots and quickness in delivery. Images you can see here give you a perfect idea! You can have a look to his sites to know more about his work: www.artefoto-omegna.it and www.italianweddingphotojournalist.com.

Rachel picked up for her bridal bouquet one of Monika’s creations. Monika is the famous floral designer of La Piccola Selva. She created for beautiful Rachel a Hand-Tied Lilium Longiflorum bouquet.

After a short trip on private motorboat, ceremony has been celebrated on the lakeshore just by the small pier. An idyllic scenery: the abbey and villas on one side and lake and Orta village on the other.
A little farer there was Buccione Tower. Medieval tower that has been over viewing on Lake Orta for more than 1000 years. Continue Reading »

It is not the first time that Lake Orta has been chosen as wedding destination by an international media personality. Some time ago Kerry Katona chose the same lake for her wedding. She is a famous British actress, book writer and former member of Atomic Kitten band. Then Bevin Tucker landed here. She has been main character in American movie Girl in 3D, directed by Louis Aira. Thanks to the thriller movie Bevin won first prize as Best Actress to New York Film and Video Festival in 2004. You could read more about Bevin’s wedding in posts that Valentina, Diane and Monika wrote.
Today we would like to tell you about Mark Followill. He is the voice of Dallas Maveriks the famous NBA basket ball team. Forbes Magazine describer It is one of the most important basket ball team in US from the economical point of view.

Mark Followill is official speaker of Mavs TV. Dallas Maveriks tv channel. Mark chose for his wedding with Rachel romantic and magic Lake Orta and its St. Julius Island.

Valentina Lombardi of Italian Lakes Wedding planned the wedding for them and Raffaello Mazzoleni was their skillful photographer. You can see some wonderful pictures here as anticipation.

An intimate symbolic ceremony on the lakeshore that Valentina will describe soon thanks to Raffaello Mazzoleni images. Stay tuned to know more from Valentina’s words and Raffaello’s reportage images.

Are you looking for a smart lakeside restaurant for your wedding reception? Is your budget on the low side and not up to the extravagant Italian wedding organised by Tom and Katie Cruise?
Are you on the look out for a restaurant that will go a long way to finding the right solution for you, with a gift for the bride and groom, a gesture that makes all the difference?
Picture this: the hotel motor boat taking you to the Island of San Giulio for your wedding photos. And, on request and according to your budget, the hotel will arrange the room for you, with chair covers and big bows, if that is what you wish for.

If you have chosen Lake Orta, then the Approdo at Pettenasco is the right place for you with its a restaurant with a fine garden on the lake shore, well known for its excellent cuisine, and with the assistance of a native English speaker, and a large sunny banqueting room overlooking the lake.
Last week, Laura and Michele chose the Ristorante L’Approdo for their reception, while they chose the professional work and life-long experience of Raffaello Mazzoleni for their photos: We have selected just a few of the magnificent shots he took in the lovely Calle Room, beautifully dressed up for the occasion.

Raffaello Mazzoleni is an experienced photographer who has specialised in weddings and has state of the art equipment to assist him: the award-winning Olympus E3 with superb accessories such as the Olympus Zuiko 7-14 mm wide-angle lens.

The last picture shows Laura and Michele on board the motorboat made available for their use free of charge by the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo:
a gift offered to all newly-weds so that they can immortalise their magic moment on the lake, a superb reminder of their truly perfect day on Lake Orta.

Today we would like to tell you about a very special event Italian Lakes Wedding Team followed:Bevin and Steven Wedding to Villa Gippini in Orta San Giulio – Lake Orta.
A special event for so many reasons. One above all: symbolic ceremony was arranged just on the lake shores with evocative St. Julius island in the background.
Let’s go through ever single detail of it!

Special One: Lake Orta as you’ve never seen before!
it was a wonderful Spring sunny day. Sky was clear with small clouds. Lake water was completely transparent and mountains were green after a long winter.
This was the great scenery for Bevin and Steven’s wedding.
Just the right day to promote this lake!

Special Two: Diego and Estella photographs.
Diego and Estella are two creative and state of the art photographers!
We decided to put them as “Special Event” of the day because their shots were simply great. Let’s have a look to the PHOTO GALLERY with the most beautiful Diego and Estella pictures of Bevin and Steven’s wedding.

Special Three: Villa Gippini, the most exclusive venue on Lake Orta.
Villa Gippini is an ancient villa date back to 1500 located just on the lake shores.
It was built in the medieval center of Orta San Giulio.
Nowadays Hotel San Rocco is the owner of the villa and it rarely allows its utilization for special events, like Bevin and Steven’s wedding.

Villa Gippini is a private venue which not open to public. It created a very intimate atmosphere for the wedding.

Special Four: Bevin’s bridesmaids.
They were all in a elegant but sexy cherry red dress.
The four bridesmaids were all so friendly and smiling. They were able to add a touch of glamour and real fun to the ceremony that sometimes could seem even too serious. Continue Reading »

From the start of 2009 Lake Orta can boast a new and spectacular location for weddings: Villa Ortea, situated close to Pettenasco, in one of the most picturesque corners of the eastern lake shore and just a short distance from Orta and the island of San Giulio.
Ortea Villa is not just any old location: originally built in the early eighteenth century and has recently been restored with the aim of turning it into a structure dedicated to receive any type of event, with an internal capacity of up to 250 seats and completely functional in all respects: the large service areas for catering, private parking and above all the possibility of arranging the reception outdoors, taking advantage of the large terraces overlooking the lake or the beautiful park that surrounds it.

It has it’s own garden, the “pride and joy” of Villa Ortea, able to bestow the wedding couple and their guests a true “full immersion” into the greenery that few other locations are able to offer.
The park, which is structured over multiple levels covering a 20,000 square meter area, after decades of neglect has taken life again, thanks to the deep rooted passion for nature that owner Ms. Ariella and her sons Aron and Federico joyously share. Quickly becoming a kind of important botanical garden full of hundreds of different species, occasionally rare, to mention the more important, there are collections of Camellia, Rhododendron, Azalea and Kalmia, typical plants of the prealpine lake area of Piedmont that are shown by the virtue of their spectacular spring blooms.

If, however, you are thinking of getting married during the summer, given that the Villa Ortea park will delight you and your guests with a series of colourful blooms: from Hibiscus to Oleander and even to Hydrangea’s and some fine varieties of Lagestroemia that bestow you with the perfect setting for your wedding photographs, along with magnificent views of Lake Orta that stands in the background.

A beautiful and evocative walk lets you visit the whole park with extreme comfort, whilst meandering through the paths and discovering the most beautiful sights. At the top of the garden, a small romantic lake, sealed by a beautiful waterfall set among the rocks, calls for moments of tranquility and contemplation.
Villa Ortea is a unique location for weddings: come and discover it and you will be fascinated!